Contact member.



L N. MAHONEY. coNTAcT MEMBER.

APPLlCATION FILED NOVA 28.19\3. l i

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

VTEESSES 0 momen J. N. MAHONEY. CONTACT MEMBER.

APPLICATTON FILED NOV. 28, 1513. 1,199,478. mmm Sept. 26,1916

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

wiTNLssgs: A INvEN 0R ATTORNEY J. N. MAHONEY.

CONTACT MEMBER. APPLxcATloN mio Nov. 2a. w13.

PatentedSept. 26,1916.

a v E Jgeph N. Mahoney, A ATITORNEY J. N. MAHONEY. CONTACT MEMBER.

I APPUCAUON FlLED NOV. 23, l9l3 1,199,478.

Patented Sept. 2G, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

wlTNassEs 1 33 mvENToR` .34 Joseph N Mahoney ATTORNEY WLKSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO'WESTING- JOSEPH N. MAHONEY, f'

'ilfil ELlTi/C ANB MANUFACTURING COllIPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- CONTACT MEMBER,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, |916.

Application filed November 28, 1913. Serial No. 803,517.

le it known that l. .losnru WAiioNEY, a ritiri-n of the llnited States, and a resident of l''iliriwhurg. in the county oi Allegheny and Siate of Pennsylvania, have im exited a Til are' :jmd useful lmprovement in Contact ol wliiih (he following is a auth ii 2 relates to oirouii. interlii rimini :sud primi fuk vrlv lii;'li-\"oltage circuits, intzuft members and eenneotion mei infini i: ,imvrfd in there.: ,i h A "the inert or' my invention to provide 'fx ii-ni contart iia'ziv-e the Component bien me ronmaf'tlv arm.' d and portiera. iwi' whivh are so Conto i-ii'eift di:engagement at a is rel.f.tivol v higher than the xii* SMM olf ,he i'iiovasle romeni' menthe inn-rra: which are adapted to rwiatlvf.;

. 5-1 sisi k fiaitimia worin w arf i l;

veloui the speed of sepi-iration ol the oojfierativf'e vontart members, is relatively higher than feed of the moving Contant members. glare L of the aoeoinpanving drawings is. a eeetitmal elevation of a portion of a eireuit iniierrupter ruiming; o ieratingi; stationi'iienibers, non- :mv and n'iovai'ile roman stiva-toil in aef'rdanve with mv invention. #iii lfigr. f "s a af i elevational view of a portion of a Arf-uit iiitifrrupter embodyiiir` my invention; Fig. i is an end View, partialiy in fortiori and 'iaxrtinlly in elevntion, of the mend f, embodie" in my invention; a seitional w taken along! the -l'V ot Fig. l: rig. 5 is a sectional i along); the line if-MlfY of Fig. l; a seilionai vieri" talieii almig the line VI-VI of Fig. 8, and Fig. 7 is a detail view of the engaging or looking mwhanism embodied in my invention.

Referring to the drawings` the mechanism here illustrated comprises, in general. downwardly projecting terminal members l, and upwardlyY projectingr movable members 2 mounted ou each ad ot' a bridging member 3 whirh is operatively connected to a rod 4 constituting a part of a well known form of tireuit interrupter.

The downwznfdlv projecting terminal members 1 severally romprise, in detail, a hollow cylindrical ifonilurting n embor which is Shrew lhrei'uled to rereite a bell shaped mf, 'iv ff. lie bell shaped member isjiroiids `l ith a supporting member 7 suitably mounted therein Jfor supporting two tubular members 8. The supportin r member 7 has twp down vardly projevtingjy portions forming main Contact members l) and an upwardly projecting portion il for guiding" a movable ronducting memher 1G. The upper end nl the movable eondurting member l() ie: eiootrically eonneeted to the terminal member 1 by a flexible strap 1l and a conductor 1: and the lower end has a eondueting member 13 attached to it. From the lower side ol the eondui-,ting member 1li project two areing Contact member-si l-it that are disposed at the` respective sides of a member 15 which his grooves 16 therein,y for purposes hereinafter set forth. Each of the tubular members S is adapted to receive a helix-al springr 17 which is attached, at its upper eniL to a supporting member S looatedin the upper portion of the tubeV 8, and, at its lower end, to the com'lucting member 13. The arcing Contact ii-eriberf; 14

are prov' led, at their I'ower ends, wir!! removable hexagonal pie s 18, and the main eontaet'members. 9 lare also provided with removable hexagonal pees 19 for facilitating renewal should the same become deina geil hv reasoriof the ares which are dri-mn when the interruptor operates.

T he upwardly projecting movable memhere severally comprise a cup-shaped receptacle 2o, suitably screw threaded to reveive thi` bridging' member 3 and each is pro vided with a cover member 2l having a plurality of openings therein and with nro"- je-etions Q3 from its under side for 'sunportingr a plurality of main momble f'oiitaot members a pluralityY ot' movable airing! contant members' :55. and a lati-hing; leviie E36. The main movable contact members *l are resiliently supported by springs 3T whiifh rest upon the proierlion 13d. Tbe rosultiiig travel ol' the rontari members iii an Upward direition. by reason of the eximir sion ol the springs is' limited by loel nuls The movaliliy ai'iing' ront:- 't nioiiibers 2.5 are also supported by vaines .252 wliii'h rest upon the supporiinrf proiertions Il that extend from tin under sidi oi' said over member 2l. as la-ieinbetore described with reference to the main movable ronaet members 2l. Lorated between the movable arf'iun' Contant members 23 and insulated therefrom. is a evliuilru-al member -ll hav ing two lateh members 3l plv otallv mounted upon a projection $32 within the saine. The latch members ll are provided with shtml lors 3i; as .inst wbii'h presses a spring ll to maintain them normally ifi their loved positions. i 'l'he eondiieting' member lll. to wbirh :re attached the movable Contact members. bas a shoulder 35 near its upper end' which upon moving' downwardly engages :lie Aipper end of the guiding member il i'or liiintiiier the time oieti'eetive (-iiigagement oi the areing Contact members after the main contact members have beeonio disengaged. The tubes 8 are slightly bent in order to centraize them with respect to the terminal members 1, which diverge, for reasons; which are well known to those versed iu the art.

Ussumingr the various paris ot' the appa ratas to occupy the position sliown in Fig. l ot' the drawingr and that the eireuit breaker is to be opened, the operation is as follows: limiiediately upon the release oi' a restraining means, not shown) the operaiiug rod moves downwardly and rarries the bridgingr member 15 and the upwardly projecting movable members f2 therewith. When the movable members 2 travel ilovviiwai'dly, the main movable eoutart members 2J.y travel upwardly because of the expansion oi" the .springs JT a distance liirh is li. :teil bythe lool; nuts 2S. i hereiobei'orlexplained. ll'heu the nuts 1H ifomi into contact witl'i tbe, underside oi the projeetion Ll, themain movable and stationary eontart members are disengaged. The areinn' eontaet members l-l and 25 which are locked in eleetiv.' engagienient by the grooved member ll'i and tbe latch members E51 travel in a downward direetion, as the movable menilers travel .'li'wnwardly until the shoulder ."f on tlie member 10 engages tlie upper end of the ,L-z'niding'f member f)a wbieh is at surh :i time.r

lari its iii 'f.'eiiiriii wbeii tl: nnfveble members i) have attained a relate nel; high velocity. thus preventlne further downwari.' movement ot' the members lll and causing the latch members 3l to be disengaged from the grooved member l5 y reason of the downward force of the movable member 2 ='.'\'ereoiiiin,"r the force of the spring 3l which tends to hold the lateh members 31 in effertive engagement with the, ;rooved niembei' 17. When the iooveiil members l5 are released, they are drawn upwardly into their normal positions by the springs 1T, which have been placed under tension. flhe movable arringr eontaet members :25 now assumo their normal positions by reason of the ex pansion of the springs 25! until the lock nuts 22 on the lower end of the movable :ii-(fing eoiitaet members 25 have reached their limit ot' travel upwardly,

lin the normal open position of the Con tart device, the plane ol' the top ofthe areing surtares of the movable members is slightly higher tlian the plane of the surfaces of the main movable members, for reasons hereinafter stated. When the circ-,uit breaker is being closed`r the movable men'iber travels upwardly until the areing Contact members eileet an engagement, and the iiiovablo niemlii-i's 2.3 move downwardly until prevented from fui-ther movement by the springs 29. A relatively short time interval after tbe :ii-ring; Contact members etlect an engaggfe` meut, the main Contact members are coperatively engaged and the lower members 2l, travel, as didvthe lower airing members 25, ilownwardly iintil prevented from further movement by the springs 27. Before the lower areing,r Contact members 25 have reaehed their limit of travel, the grooved member 15 is effectively engaged by the latch members 31. The difference in level of the planes of the areing and the main eootact surfaces is for the purpose of protecting the main Contact surfaces from being pitted and burned.

will be well understood by those versed in the art7 my invention is a decided improvenient in Contact devices by reason of the attainment of a relatively maximum veloeity of the movable Contact members before the arcing surfaces are disengaged, and a relatively rapid disengagement of the same, thus reducing the areing to :i mini mum. lhile my invention isv intended for ilse in wirr-,uit breakers for relatively highvvoltage eiroui'ts, it is not limited to -the particular eoiistruetion illustrated but is Capable.. of various modifications Within the scope of the appended claims.

i'laiui as my invention:A`

1. A vii-nuit interrupter comprising a contact member having a grooved member there. on. a second Contact member havinilr :iv latch iiaiiilafr thereon. the said latch member bring' adapted to secure the said Contact members in engagement when t ey move in one direction, and means for Causing the 9. A circuit interrupter 'comprising a stationary member, a movable member, a resiliently mounted contact member supported by the stationary member, a resiliently mounted contact member supported by the movable member, a grooved member operatively connected to the contact member that is supported by the stationary member, and a latch member supported by the movable member and adapted to engage the grooved .member to maintain the contact members in engagement'until the movable member has moved a predetermined distance.

l0. A. circuit interrupter comprising a contact member having a grooved member operatively connected thereto, a second contact member having a latch member operatively connected thereto, the said latch member and the said grooved member being adapted to secure the said contact members in engagement When they move in one direction, and means for moving one of Hw hmmm# mombers in the opposite direction' after they have traveled a predetermined distance.

11. A circuit interrupter comprising a contact member having a grooved member op eratively connected thereto, a second contact member having a latch member operatively connected thereto, the said latch member and the said grooved member being adapted to secure the said contact members in engagement when they1 move in one di? rection, and a springfor moving one of the contact members in the opposite direction after they have traveled a predetermined distance.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 24th day vof 1913.

JOSEPH N. MAHONEY.

Witnesses:

JOHN MCKECHNIE, B. B. HINES.

Nov., K 

